DALLAS (NewsNation) — Texas joined the growing number of states putting more restrictions on transgender athletes in college sports.

Surrounded by college athletes, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on Thursday what he calls the “Save Women’s Sports” bill, which bans transgender collegiate athletes from competing on teams that do not align with their biological gender assigned at birth.

The Lone Star State already had a ban in place for K-12 athletes.

“Women’s sports are being threatened. Some women are being forced to play against biological men,” Abbott said.

At least 20 states share a similar ban at either the K-12 or college level, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

It is an issue that is increasingly capturing the national conversation and drawing strong opinions on both sides.

Several legal challenges have been brought up in the wake of University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA division one title last year.

However, critics of such laws call them discriminatory and an attack on the transgender community.

“Spending so much time and money on something that isn’t actually a problem, and having trans teammates is not a problemx, is really just mind-boggling to me and devastatingly hurtful,” Ricardo Martinez with Equality Texas said.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration proposed a rule that would make it illegal for schools to ban transgender athletes from competing.

This was shortly after the Republican-controlled House passed a bill that would prohibit trans athletes in federally funded institutions. However, this is not expected to pass in the Democratic-led Senate.

NewsNation reached out to the NCAA, the governing board for college athletics, for comment but has not heard back.

According to NCAA policy, transgender student-athletes must provide documentation and meet the sport’s standard for documented testosterone levels throughout the season.